Ketamine harm reduction: Collaborative development of a prevention ecosystem using data from the northwest of England
Research Square July 7, 2026 Rabya Mughal, Elaine Ryan-McNeill, Barbara Mezes et al.
Heavy ketamine use among young people in Northwest UK is driven by trauma, vulnerability, social deprivation, and easy access through digital drug markets. Clinical responses are often reactive and late, with service gaps and workforce training deficits. A participatory action research approach involving young people and professionals identified three themes: drivers of use, systemic failures in harm reduction, and the value of co-production. A conceptual model proposes that harm arises from interactions between social determinants, and that community-based collaborative approaches could improve public health messaging.